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by VeryHungryAuthor
Summary: He had grown fond of her as he traveled with her, he planned on doing things properly, but what if everything goes wrong instead? Hiei/Kagome


**DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha or Yu Yu Hakusho**

_A/N: Edited and posted in my new account!_

_**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**_

_Summary:_He had grown fond of her as he traveled with her, he planned on doing things properly, but what if everything goes wrong instead?

_**oOo**_

The Spirit Detectives had been assigned to help her. "Help" was probably a misinterpretation on her part, they had been sent to keep her alive and to destroy Naraku. Not, "help Kagome destroy Naraku," just "destroy Naraku." After _convincing _InuYasha that they did need help on their journey, everything went quite smoothly.

While Sango and InuYasha remained rather distrustful of the four newcomers, they didn't act out for Kagome's sake. Miroku and Yusuke seemed to bond pretty much the instant that the monk had groped Botan _(though Kuwabara hadn't liked that at all)_. Kazuma found some companionship in Kirara, which had Sango warming up to him, but only a little. Shippo spent a lot of time with Kurama and it made Kagome so happy to see Shippo get the help he needed in growing up that she couldn't give him. Hiei, however, didn't hang around often. He spent most of his time out on his own slaying demons to his heart's content.

Kagome knew that he was a powerful demon, but she still worried that he might not come back one evening. She would sit up at night and wait for his return. It was silly, she knew _(mostly because InuYasha would tell her how stupid she was being when she did so), _but she still waited for him. Out of all new arrivals, Kagome attempted to spend more time with Hiei than any of them. She wanted him to feel like part of the group and she wanted to get to know him better, though she knew she probably looked foolish in her attempts.

On slow shard-hunting days, she would find the tree he occupied and would sit beneath him, just as a small gesture of companionship. They never really spoke and neither of them minded, it was more of a comfort just to relax and not expect anything. Of course, Kagome couldn't go forever without talking to him so she did engage him in a conversation or two. A part of her was more attached to him than she realized, and she had begun to lose interest in others, namely InuYasha.

InuYasha reacted badly to the changes and made a turn for the worst. He pushed the group harder than ever and, when they did stop, he would be off with Kikyo or yelling about the incompetence of humans. Eventually, his new ways took its toll on all of them.

It was dusk when Shippo collapsed, having grown too heavy to be carried, he had been walking with the rest of them and it was too much too soon.

"Shippo!" Kagome cried, dropping to her knees beside him and checking him over.

Kurama knelt down next to her, concerned for the kit's wellbeing as well. It angered him that InuYasha had been so careless as to bring harm to the little demon. How any of them had survived so far was a miracle, but now reality was taking its toll.

"InuYasha, we need to stop and see to Shippo!" Kagome called out to the half-demon that was still moving forward.

"Keh, just pick him up and let's get going! There's still daylight left!" He turned and faced her, daring her to defy him.

Just as she was about to retort, Yusuke stepped in, "You bastard, we're stopping. Now."

"Stay out of this, you've got nothing to do with it!" InuYasha snapped, eyes flicking to the teen for a brief second before returning to Kagome, "Now get up!"

Hiei, bored with the half-demon's attitude, left the area in search of a demon or two to kill. Sango and Miroku grabbed Kuwabara and Yusuke, pulling them away while Kagome handed Shippo's unconscious form to Kurama. She rose to her feet and took a few steps toward InuYasha.

"Sit!" She shouted, watching him plummet to the ground and not feeling a damn bit guilty.

She closed the distance between them, "I don't know just what your problem has been lately but, when you endanger the life of a child, that's the final straw. We are stopping and you are going to stop being so immature!"

While she ranted, she hadn't realized that the spell had worn off and all of a sudden found herself face-to-face with a decidedly pissed InuYasha. Time slowed as InuYasha did one thing that none of them would ever forget: he backhanded Kagome. She fell to the ground, looking up at her friend in shock and anger, there was something wrong with him, this wasn't the gruff half-demon she knew, this was someone else.

InuYasha stared at his hand, unmoving with eyes wide. It seemed that he was just as shocked as she was by his actions. He suddenly ran off in the direction of Kikyo, leaving the collection of stunned individuals behind. Then they all flew into action.

"Kagome, are you alright?"

"Where'd that jackass run off to?"

"He needs to be taught a lesson!"

"Is that blood? Oh, that bastard is going to pay!"

Kagome, feeling crowded and more concerned for Shippo at the moment, snapped, "GUYS! I'm fine, we need to help Shippo."

Kurama was already on it though, propping the kit up and slowly tipping water into his mouth. Kagome made her way over barely, stars dancing behind her eyelids. She sat by as Kurama saw to Shippo's needs before taking him into her arms and leaning up against a tree and falling asleep instantly.

The others watched over them, all prepared to cut InuYasha to ribbons when he returned, as they knew he would. No one spoke, they all fumed silently around the campfire, each individual filled with righteous anger. As the hours went by, Miroku and Kuwabara made their ways to bed, while Yusuke, Sango and Kurama chose to stay up. At some point they heard sniffling and looked over in Kagome's direction to notice tears sliding down her face as she slept. She was in a terrible way, her face was swelling slightly and the blood had dried on her split lip.

"I don't understand," Sango said quietly to the other two, "InuYasha was never like this, never. Even when you guys showed up it wasn't this bad…but she started spending less time with him and…I should have seen this coming."

Kurama and Yusuke knew that she was blaming herself and they felt partly to blame as well. With more people, she had less time to hang around with the one that felt like he needed the most attention. However, they couldn't have known what was going to happen; they hadn't known what he was like before they arrived.

"You are not at fault here Sango, this is InuYasha's problem and you played no part in it." Kurama assured her, reaching out and patting her hand.

Behind them bushes rustled and they all were on guard. They relaxed, however, when Hiei was the one to emerge. Well, Kurama and Yusuke relaxed, Sango was still a little defensive.

"Hn. Where's the half-demon?" Hiei asked, dropping a dead boar demon onto the ground, surprised that the strange priestess wasn't still up.

He had grown…accustomed to seeing her wait up for him. She was interesting, different from any other woman that he had come across. Though he would never tell anyone, he enjoyed listening to her talk at night, found her aura very soothing even to the Dragon. Over the time he had spent traveling with her, he became fond of her. Not that he would ever let anyone know.

Sango gave a snort, "That bastard? He left and I hope he doesn't come back!"

Hiei raised a brow in question but otherwise remained silent. He turned to Kurama for an elaboration on the fury-filled statement made by the slayer.

"It seems that InuYasha's nature has become more violent than before our arrival, he lashed out at Kagome and took off somewhere."

"Hell, I want him to come back so I can have a little talk with him about how to treat a girl properly." Yusuke cracked his knuckles in anticipation.

Hiei hadn't really heard his announcement; however, he was headed in Kagome's direction. He felt the slayer's eyes upon his back, watching him intently and found that he respected her determination to protect her friend. Though there was no need to protect her from him.

As he grew closer, her face became more visible and he grew angry. Never before had he felt such a fierce surge of rage as when he saw the damage inflicted upon her once flawless face. Reaching out, he brushed a few strands of hair from her face and watched her wince and tighten her grip on the kit in her arms. He turned back to the other three,

"Go to bed, I will be on guard tonight." He stated before leaping into the tree that Kagome occupied.

Kurama and Sango looked to each other, realization dawning in their eyes. Hiei may not admit it but they knew, he would keep Kagome safe because he cared for her. Both were understandably shocked but they did as they were told and went to bed. They didn't have to worry about Kagome anymore.

_**oOo**_

Now, thirteen months later, they were facing Naraku. Without InuYasha. He never came back, much to the dismay of Kagome, and she knew why. She had felt it when her soul returned and knew what InuYasha had done. Two months went by before she would speak, she was drowning in guilt. She didn't notice that Hiei seemed to be acting strange and by the time she was alert enough to notice, she had grown used to it.

Eventually she explained what happened, that InuYasha had gone to Hell with Kikyo and that he wouldn't be coming back. While they were all still furious at the half-demon, none of them had expected him feel guilty enough to die. Kagome slowly returned to her normal self, occasionally crying at night when she thought no one else was awake. Hiei had been. He knew that she wanted to be alone as she cried, and it left him feeling torn as he listened to her sobs. Everything she made him feel was entirely new and only slightly unwelcome, much to his surprise. When he finally began to come to terms with what he was feeling and spoke to the fox about it, it became clear that everyone had known except for himself and Kagome.

He planned to approach her after they returned to their own time. He was going to have a proper courtship, no matter how awkward it would be for him. But everything had gone wrong.

Kagome had been the one to destroy Naraku, as it had been destined, but not without sacrifice. Approaching Naraku was impossible, but she had managed it, though it had brought her to the brink of death.

Now she was in his arms, but not as he had wanted. Her shallow breathing signaled her ending life as she bled out all over him. Even as she was dying, she still looked at him in concern. He had recklessly charged after her as she took blow after blow in her determination to destroy Naraku. He had been injured, but not half as badly as she had.

Shippo was crying, his wails loud and unwanted in this desperate moment. Sango was attempting to sooth him with Miroku by her side, looking upon him with sympathy. His teammates stood off to the side, watching him helplessly. There was nothing anyone could do. She was going to die. Kagome, the only girl besides his sister to ever come close to his heart, was going to die.

And then, she did. There were no goodbyes, no long admissions of love, just a strangled gasp for breath. Shippo cries grew in their intensity while Hiei stared down at the pale face of Kagome. His chest constricted. This was not right; this was not how it was supposed to end. But it had.

They stayed for her burial, it was the least they could do since she died saving the world and all. Then they returned home, no one saying a word to Hiei, leaving him to his thoughts.

_**oOo**_

The Spirit Detectives reported back to Koenma a week later, having taken the time to heal and mourn the loss of a good friend. Or, in Hiei's case, more than a good friend. They met in the park and were greeted by a smiling Botan, which grated on Hiei's nerves. What right did this stupid woman have to smile so? What right did she have to be happy while he suffered? Were it not for his amazing will-power, Hiei would have decapitated her on the spot.

Stepping through the portal, the boys' were in for the surprise of their lives.

"It took you long enough, I mean, God, keep a girl waiting for five hundred years, why don't ya?"

Hiei's head snapped in the direction of her voice. She was there, dressed up in the traditional priestess get-up and looking completely alive. All he could do was stare and she stared back.

"How are you alive?" Kurama inquired, very curious.

"Hey, I saved the world, they owed me one. So…I hung around as a spirit until you guys came back from the Feudal Era. I wanted it to be a surprise but I bet Botan couldn't stop smiling long enough to pick up you. I knew she shouldn't have been in on it." Kagome said, eyes dancing with laughter.

"While it's really awesome to see you all and such, I already filled Koenma in on the details. I just brought you here to shock the Hell out of ya! And I don't mean to be rude but, I would really like to talk with Hiei alone, if you don't mind." She said, looking to the others with pleading eyes.

Koenma, knowing what was about to happen, called for Botan, "I'll just have Botan drop you off somewhere, I'd like to talk to the other guys for a while."

Botan landed them at the bottom of the shrine steps and left them with a huge grin. They stood in silence for a minute before Kagome sat down on the stairs.

"Hiei…I've had a long time to think and I realized a few things." She sighed, "I must have been completely dense to not realize your intentions towards me. And, to be honest, I had to have been down-right stupid to not know that I had feelings for you. I-"

Hiei had made his way behind her and embraced her, burying his face into her hair. He just felt so…so…there wasn't a way to describe it. She was alive and he was definitely going to take advantage of it.

"Hiei?" Kagome questioned softly, unsure of where this was going.

"Make no mistake in this, I will have you." Hiei said with a possessive note in his voice, "But I will do things properly."

Kagome turned around in his arms and smiled brilliantly, "Alright."

She gave him a small peck on the lips and giggled.


End file.
